GAAHL+GORGOROTH

GORGOROTH frontman Gaahl threatened to "sacrifice" a man and drink his blood during a night of terror more than two years ago, a Norwegian court was told today during the first day of Gaahl's trial on abuse charges.

The 40-year-old alleged victim testified in a Sunnfjord court that he feared that he was going to die the night of February 23, 2002, according to Bergens Tidende.

The man, whose identity has not been revealed by the Norwegian media, explained that he went to an after-hours party at the invitation of Gaahl's brother and ended up engaging in a verbal disagreement with Gaahl. However, he denied that he physically attacked Gaahl, as has been claimed by the defendant.

"I wanted to leave," the alleged victim told the court. "What I did was react verbally to a situation which I perceived as threatening."

When the 40-year-old man tried to leave the party, the defendant allegedly blocked the exit by standing in the doorway. Immediately after that, the alleged victim felt a hard hit on the back of his head.

"From the moment I got hit, I thought to myself that this was the end. It was as if I could view the whole situation from the outside: Now I'm dying," the man explained.

The 40-year-old told the court of increased use of violence as the night progressed. He claimed to have no recollection of how long it took for the entire episode to transpire, but he indicated that it "seemed to last for a very long time." He also described a situation where he was given a cup in which he was supposed to bleed. He said he was first hit once, then another time because he did not bleed enough. According to the alleged victim, the defendant said, "I'm going to sacrifice you, I'm going to drink your blood."

After he was hit in the back of the head, the 40-year-old man made two attempts to get away. The first time, he thought the living room was empty. But when he tried to get up from his chair, he was pulled back down by someone behind him. The second time he managed to get out and find his way into his car and drive away. The alleged victim believes that there were two more persons were in the house in addition to the defendant.

Taking the stand in his own defense, Gaahl (Photo#1, Photo#2, Photo#3) explained that it was the 40-year-old who started the trouble which led to the physical confrontation. Prosecutor Ronny Iden (Photo) also indicated that some of the witnesses would corroborate Gaahl's claim that it was the 40-year-old who initiated the fight.

"He jumped on me and threw me down in a chair. I also remember getting my head banged against the wall," Gaahl testified in court. "He kept hitting at me without stopping. The last thing I remember is that I fell down on the couch and that I lifted my arms to protect myself. After that I must have lost consciousness. The next thing I remember is standing on the floor and [the 40-year-old] sitting in a chair. At that time he was bleeding pretty heavily," the 28 year-old black metal singer explained.

When asked to explain the severe physical injuries suffered by the 40-year-old, Gaahl said, "Anything I would say would be just pure speculation on my part. I don't know what happened."

The defendant's version of what transpired on the night in question directly contradicts the alleged victim's claim that he suffered a brutal assault at the hands of the defendant, causing him to continue to experience medical problems more than two years after the alleged incident took place.

During his testimony, Gaahl explained that he met the 40-year-old for the first time earlier that night at a restaurant. According to Gaahl, the alleged victim made the initial contact.

The defendant, who appeared in court wearing a black GORGOROTH t-shirt, a leather jacket and an upside-down cross necklace (photo), claimed that he took a cab home after closing time and that the 40-year-old was not invited to the after-hours party, but that he invited himself and turned up a bit later. Gaahl explained that the 40-year-old had been drinking at the restaurant but still ended up driving his own car for 30 minutes from the restaurant to the house.

"Everything was calm until we were supposed to leave the house to go to my brother's place nearby," Gaahl said. "It was my brother that was originally going to have the party, but we went to my place first as my brother hadn't arrived yet. When I made the suggestion that we leave, he attacked me," the 28 year old said.

Towards the end of his testimony, Gaahl offered a motive for the 40-year-old man to lie about the events of the night in question, claiming that he was the victim of some sort of revenge.

"I think he was sent by the man who convicted me in Høyanger," Gaahl said.

The court was also shown a cup that is normally used for games of throwing dice. When the defendant saw that the alleged victim was bleeding heavily, he gave him the cup. Asked if he had told the 40-year-old to collect his blood in the cup, Gaahl explained, "I gave him the cup so that he would not to make such a mess in my house with all the blood."

During the questioning, the defendant claimed he did not remember anything that happened after he lost consciousness until he found himself standing on the floor with the 40-year-old sitting in a chair badly injured in front of him.

Responding to a question from the court, Gaahl admitted that there was a big difference between his own injuries and those suffered by the 40-year-old.

Asked if it was possible that he was so angry that he ended up blacking out, Gaahl responded, "No, I was more surprised by being attacked."

Do you generally have a anger problem?

"No, it takes quite a lot to get me upset, but if I do, I can be extremely angry," Gaahl replied.

GORGOROTH singer Gaahl is facing 18 months in a Norwegian prison on charges that he beat a 41-year-old man in what the victim called a ritual attack. The 28-year-old had originally faced up to nine years for threats and violence, but the prosecution asked for a much shorter sentence at the close of a two-day trial on Wednesday (April 28).

Gaahl, who appeared in court wearing a black GORGOROTH t-shirt, a leather jacket and a Thor's Hammer necklace (Photo#1, Photo#2, Photo#3, Photo#4), is accused of performing ritual violence that included collecting blood from his victim and drinking it, newspaper VG reports. The victim, whose identity hasn't been revealed, has been on sick leave for over two years since the February 2002 attack.

According to the charges, the 41-year-old was hit and kicked several times in the face and head and needed stitches to close cuts in his head. His nose was broken and he suffered major dental damage, newspaper Aftenposten reports.

Gaahl, who has several prior convictions including one for assault and battery, claimed that he acted in self-defense.

Taking the stand in her son's defense, Gaahl's mother testified that she found the accusation of blood drinking particularly hard to believe.

"My son is a vegetarian and very fussy about food. He eats absolutely no innards. That is why I do not believe this at all," Gaahl's mother told the court.

Formed in 1992, GORGOROTH took their name from J.R.R. Tolkien's book "The Lord Of The Rings". Gaahl, who joined the band in 1998, is believed to be involved with at least three other projects (GAAHLSKAGG, SIGFADER, TRELLDOM), all of which feature a musical direction described as "raw, unsophisticated black metal."

GORGOROTH drew international attention in early February after they were accused of "offending religious feelings" during a concert in Poland. The band were also suspected of breaching the Polish law on protection of animals by displaying the severed and impaled heads of sheep as part of their stage act.